I grew up in this orchestra. It’s an orchestra that I will fight for, that I love, and an orchestra that I want to see thrive. It’s at the forefront of my mind for HBO to carve out its own identity and that instead of calling ourselves a community orchestra, that we actually are one. Be it through education, self-produced concerts or concerts for koha - our vision is to enrich and serve our region. - Alice Sip, President HBO
As a business owner and mother, I came to the President’s role in 2020 with a fresh perspective. Wearing glasses with one lens aimed on success (in its many forms), and the other on mana and generosity, I believe the Hawke’s Bay Orchestra is on a journey to reignite a following in its community through new avenues and channels to present classical music. We are no longer in a culture where classical music is normal - in fact, it’s the opposite. The Committee of HBO has a vision to change this stigma - removing social and age group boundaries surrounding a genre of music that has in the past been seen as elitist. We explore concerts for koha, we push the boundaries of performance with traditional and period instruments, we often stand to play. We are unique in both the musicians that comprise our group, but also in our attitude of “can-do” and “will-do”. Although we build on decades of music in Hawke’s Bay, we aim to strengthen the foundation laid before us, and build with durability - setting up the generations to come.